Words of Grace – July 31, 2014
A husband and wife were on their vacation, staying at a beautiful country resort. They were so impressed with everything and talked about how nice it would be to live there permanently.
When the handyman at the resort told them about a great cottage his neighbor had up for sale, they went to take a look at it. Falling in love with the place instantly, they bought it on the spot.
ON the day they moved in, the handyman dropped by for a visit. “You got a good buy,” he said, “even if the roof leaks, the plumbing’s shot, and the well runs dry in the summer.”
“Why didn’t you tell us about all of these things before we bought it?” the couple asked.
“Well,” he answered, “we weren’t neighbors then.”
We have the misconception that our neighbor is the person who lives next door to us, or on the same street as ours. Actually, a neighbor is anyone of the human race who needs our help.
When a lawyer asked Jesus, in Luke 10:29, who his neighbor was, the Lord answered him by telling a story. The Parable of the Good Samaritan tells about three men who had the opportunity to help a wounded man who was near death. Only the Samaritan “was neighbor unto him” (v. 36). He was the only one “that showed mercy on him” (v. 37).
